SUNNYVALE, CA: Semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has consolidated all communications under one person. Corporate and product PR had been decentralized.

Dave Kroll, previously director of corporate communications, will now serve as director of global communications.

"There was inevitably a drop-off in information between the two [groups]," he said. "This will allow us to be much smarter in tying the corporate and product messages together."

Kroll will report to Morris Denton, promoted from director of corporate marketing to VP of global corporate marketing, and John Volkmann, VP of strategic communications.

The move comes as AMD is set to spin off its flash memory division, Spansion, which is preparing for an IPO as part of that spin-off. Flash memory accounts for about 50% of AMD's revenue, said Kroll. In 2004, AMD's revenue was $5 billion.

"When you compete with Intel, you must be incredibly strategic and efficient," Denton said. "We must put as much wood behind the arrow as we can."

The realignment comes as AMD pursues its lawsuit against Intel, which claims Intel intimidates PC companies into doing business with the industry leader. AMD raised eyebrows with its very public approach to the lawsuit, including running ads and reaching out to the media to explain why it filed the suit.